EIFF

After joining the rest of the class on Saturday morning at the EIFF, I didn't know what the festival was really going to be like, a number of movies not fit for the real cinema maybe? Well now I can say I don't understand why some of these films don't make it to the silver screen, but its understandable why some of them don't. I shall explain which ones later on in the post!

I've always loved Edinburgh it just has a far more continental feel to it, all the historical buildings with tourists around every corner taking photos of various angles of the castle, also the fact that everything is central and not spread out like as in Glasgow just builds for a better city. The atmosphere felt really relaxed as we could freely choose what to do each day and when, if it had been a case of you have to see these screenings on these days, that would have been a downer.

Although Paul's prompt morning alarms did begin to drain the life out of me, but in all fairness he did keep us on track and by not wasting the day as well. It also became almost comical hearing 'Various' class mates groans of having to wake up so early.

Anyways after firing along to the delegate center and being handed a number of phone book size books in a okward to carry bag, we decided what we were going to see. I can't really remember what we went to see first but here are my reviews on what we did see.

Vinyan

Well first of all what a nice cinema! enough leg room to fully stretch out and chairs comfy enough to relax in to just enjoy the movie.

The movie instantly felt different to what I have seen recently, the starting montage was edgy and almost unsettling. The movie felt like it was in no rush to give up its secrets in any rush and it would do it in its own time when it was ready. Usually slow moving movies make for a bore, but this one felt different. Just the brilliant shots and lighting made for eye candy.

Also the plot was simple but it didn't give to much away as to what was going to happen, I had no idea what was around the corner. This kept me in the movie, I don't like sitting thinking 'oh I know what's going to happen to you' None of this happened atall.

The acting was also just as good, they were just well enough known actors for some investment into the film but also ment they could act, unlike in some 'other' films we saw. The edgy 'real' feel to the script and the acting made for a really enjoyable watch.
The structure was somewhat unsual as the second to last act was a total flip switch to the style of the first to second, it turned from a slow moving human story to a 'run for your life' story. Some of the scenes that lay ahead were some of the most unsettling shots I have ever seen. It was all abit surreal to watch, but this was a good thing! About time someone broke out the box of standard three act structures and giving the audience clues to go on, no! I want to be surprised! it makes the film far more exciting to watch! and this is exactly what Vinyan did, and all credit to them! will certainly buy this on DVD.

The Anti-Christ


Well being given nothing to go on to as what this movie was about apart from a rather crude picture. I was unsure as to what to aspect going to watch this one. I knew by the title it was almost certainly going to be horror/gore/thriller maybe? I have seen just about everything there is to see from these type of movies and I felt confident I would be fine. Oh how I was wrong.

The opening shots instantly screamed that this movie was not going to follow any other movies of this genre, the unique almost photographic style of the opening shots set the tone for the rest of the movie. Although they did remind me of the Sky HD adverts somewhat.

From some of what the opening shots covered the movie sent out a clear warning shot to any squeamish people in the audience that we are not going to use clever angles and lighting in this movie to hide what this movie is about. Well I'm still a tad unsure what the movie was about but aside from this.
This was another movie such as Vinyan that moved at its own pace and didn't try and explain everything to the audience as to what was happening or going to happen. It was all abit of a roller-coaster of a ride, it steadily ... actually scratch that last! It thundered its way down the road of gore/horror at a pace that I was unsure when to look back up at the screen.

The plot again, simple, well atleast to begin with and it can be forgiven for how the last act played out as if you are still sat there by then you only have yourself to blame. It gave enough warning signs, and I almost don't care I had no idea what was going on in the last act as it became more a 'I can't believe' someone has actually been allowed to film this, it was a film I won't be forgetting in any rush. The scars will be with me for awhile, but again I'm still unsure if this is a good or bad thing? Because I am sick of typical teen horror movies and this made any horror/thriller movie from the past few decades look like an episode of the telitubbies.

All together a 'unique' watch and something you will ever likely see again on the silver screen, the characters do confuse at times with action that only leads to confuse even more. But I cant fault the acting, well atleast for what the movie was anyways.

It's worth a watch if you want to say you seen it before people catch onto the fact that they have banned far less disturbing movies!

Running towards Traffic to End the Pain!


Just how... why ... where and when did anyone read this and think it would make for a good movie? Perhaps someone didn't staple their script together all to well and got it all muddled up? Would make sense as the movie is just a tangled ball of tweed of confusing sub-plots, back up further more with characters which serve no part in moving the narrative forward in anyway. Was it buy one get one free at the acting store?

The story has no clear meaning to it what so ever, it jumps from one boring character to even more dull characters with no depth or any reason to be in the movie! Yes I drive a black Mercedes THUS I must be a bad guy?! ... O.K are you going to give me anything to back this up with? This just sets the tone for the whole movie. Meaningless characters built on top of a story that ... just plain didn't make any-sense. Its one random piece of dialog and action after another followed up with randomly appearing characters talking about something that hasn't been explained in anyway. It was all like watching Corination Street with-out Blanch their to explain what the hell was happening.

The money that must have been spent on some of the actors in this movie that were clearly just not needed to move the story along just staggers me, its another dull, blue tinted, heroine depressing Scottish Movie that just falls flat out on its knee's. I'm sorry but I like to watch movies that don't feel like every scene was written by a blind folded monkey, in fact every scene written by a different blind folded money just to make it that bit more confusing!

I'm just beyond words.

I didn't even find out until after the movie that she was supposed to be Polish?

OMG Please make it stop Documentary


First of all, didn't have enough leg room to get my legs down! Grr! and seats that were like sitting on a wooden box.


It was black and white, foreign and a Documentary ... Not that I'm not a fan of these as singular items. But all together? It made for a painfully dull piece of film making.

The Doc was essentially someone going out filming poverty stricken people then throwing it onto a DVD. It had no music, no presenter to keep you interested or generally any emotional tools they could have used to make you invest into the movie that should have made you feel sad in every possible way. The fact it was just a relentless piece of film that just appeared to never end as it followed round two families struggling to survive.

Yes this is a very sad thing! but it should have been alot shorter and used more tools to keep you engaged, I'm sorry but it could have been a Doc about baby reindeers being hunted and shot at by hill-billy Americans who would sell their skin on the black market and I still would have been taring my eyes out to make it the movie end after near two hours of this style of film making. it didn't need to be in black and white, stop being different for the sake of it, their needs to a reason and it didn't have one. No soundtrack? a well written piece of emotional music to back this Doc up could have worked wonders in terms of keeping the audience engaged as to what it was trying to say.

For a Doc about something that shouldn't be happening it this day an age to make the audience fall asleep, and a good few did. There is something clearly wrong with the film. Hands down the dullest more brain killing Doc I have ever seen.

The Girl Friend Experience

The booklet stated this was a digital experiment using RED camera's so I didn't aspect much in the way of an engaging story or characters. But I was proved wrong in about every-way. The digital camera's really did come through, every shot just look brilliant in digital.
The story was laid out in an unusual way as it didn't seem to have a clear direction, or well to begin with. Further into the movie and haven understood the concept more I really began to enjoy the movie. I loved the back and forth jumping between spaces in time, I'm not usually a fan of this type of style but it just worked for this short piece of film making.

The characters felt really human and so did the narrative, this is what drew me so far into the movie. For that hour and a half, nothing else existed but these characters in this world. Thats how far I would go to say it was well written and shot.
For a movie to do this is just incredible as most if not all the blockbuster movies of recent times have failed time and time again to reach anywhere near this level.
Richard Smith always talks about making a story feel human and the audience will thank you for it, well his point has been made. For once a movie that has treated its audience with a little more respect for once.

There's not really much else I can say about this movie, but that isn't a bad thing. There's only to many words of praise in the dictionary I can use right now.
Overall an really enjoyable feature length movie that is defiantly worth a watch!

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Darren Aronofsky


After another prompt alarm from Paul to get us up early to get tickets to go see Darren we managed to get tickets, just!

I'm not going to lie, haven't seen Requiem for a Dream or Fountain, only Wrestler. So I wasn't quite as pent up to go see him as a few of our other class mates were. Not in anyways saying I didn't appreciate going to a talk from a successful director such as himself didn't make me think 'wow' I did really enjoy The Wrestler and have heard nothing but good things about Fountain and Requiem for a Dream. So I knew the caliber of director he was.

Sitting waiting for him to come on did feel like an age, and when a ginger, mustache man came on wearing glasses, It took me a good little while to click on that it was him. Haven never seen any pictures of him, so you almost aspect someone with sun glasses and slicked back hair to come onto stage. The typical up them self Hollywood face. But the fact he wasn't was really good, he had his feet firmly on the ground and seemed really down to earth. It made his talk far more interesting and engaging to listen to. Although the woman interviewing him did annoy me for some reason. I found the talk very relaxed and Darren Aronofsky was open to answer any questions thrown at him, except the Robocop one! Was a great insight in the workings of a brilliant director.

Asides from this, it was a really enjoyable talk just listening to how he first started of and even him cringing as he watched clips of his past films was really interesting, as we all do it when we watch our past works. Overall a really enjoyable down to earth talk.


Adventure Land


From the makers of Superbad and the franchise of movies that followed it. I loved Superbad and near every movie made by the bunch! So going into this movie I was aspecting a ridiculous comedy that are attached to these movies they make. But I was surprised to find a movie that more resembled Juno than anything else.

The movie about a kid called Jesse just about to move to his top university, only to be told by his parents they can no longer afford the tuition for it, so Jesse (James Brennan) is forced to take a nowhere summer job to save up money. Only to find this job will teach him more about life than any top University ever could.

A real charmer of a movie in my view, I loved the feel and style to the whole movie. I love Juno and this felt like it was built in its memory. It wasn't a ridiculous comedy such as Superbad, no matter how good that was. It felt it was more written towards the characters stories and not just based around a series of random events happening to them. It felt more a human story, which always makes for a good movie. I found the characters like-able and interesting, the fact it also makes you laugh is a bonus.

The whole structure to the movie was predictable, you knew what was going to happen. Which may in some cases be a bad thing, but it was more about what was happening in between that was interesting. And the fact you knew what was going to happen in some ways is almost a tribute to the script as it felt so real and human that you look at the story and think, this has happened to me before!

Overall a real down to earth story full of interesting characters with some actual depth and an intriguing real plot to follow as it twists and turns. One of the best movies I have seen in awhile.


Outrage

A documentary about the suppression of homosexuals in the American political system, and that those in power making the lives of homosexuals hell are actually themselves in cases themselves homosexuals.

An interesting insight as to how corrupt the American political system works and bringing to light something that has been hidden from the light of day for so long. It was a very interesting documentary to sit through and did all things it set out to do, hense the name 'Outrage' it did make you feel 'How the hell are these people' getting away with this?

Although at times it was like sitting watching montage of youtube downloaded video's, which in many cases it probably was. The pixelated footage did become a strain to watch and rather annoying in places. This is just a small fact that annoyed me and in no way took away from the message they were sending out.
It was interesting to listen to some of the people they interviewed talking about their views and experiences of the corrupt system, although it did seem rather one side slanted and did only seem to interview people who 'love' conspires. But in all fairness these are the only people who would be allowed to be filmed, and they did get a few high profile names such as an outed Governor.

It did expose an outrageous flaw in the American Political system that needs to be changed, but with all documentaries like this you have to take a step back and look it from a distance as it was filmed and edited in a way to give of one point of view.

Overall an interesting doc that did make for a very interesting view and did prove it point that it set out to make very well, it used the tools of a doc very well and made you angry as was intended.

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Well we have all had the odd night out together as a class but rarely and few far between this happens, so I definitely think It was all worth it. We all really enjoyed ourselves and we all got along very well, lots of banter and good times. I learned things about peoples personalities that I didn't before, so I feel I know everyone far more better than I did before.

Lots of movies, pub lunches and of course sun bathing in the gardens ... some more burnt that others!

Overall a really enjoyable time and would love to go back next year!